David Allen
Director and Professor

David Allen held faculty appointments in Women’s Studies and Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison before coming to the UW Seattle School of Nursing as Chair of Psychosocial Nursing in 1988. Later he chaired the Department of Psychosocial and Community Health in Seattle’s School of Nursing. He was also Adjunct Professor in Women Studies. David was Chair of Women Studies (which became Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies) from 2005 until 2012. He assumed his current role as Director of Nursing and Health Studies Program at UW Bothell in 2012. When the Program shifted to become the School of Nursing and Health Studies, his role changed to Dean.

Scholarship:

David’s scholarship has focused on the intersections of health, health care and social justice. His publications emphasized theoretical perspectives on the language used by nursing and other health professions that reproduce sexist and racist social discourses. For several years he led a research collaboration with the Washington State Departments of Corrections, Health and Human Services and several departments in the University of Washington to address mental health issues in jails and prisons.